Don’t blame, take ownership
I have had a few days reflect on both the death of Caroline Flack, which has no doubt shocked me, as well as the Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson falling seriously ill and is now recovering in rehab right now.
On a serious note, I don’t know why I have to write this but reading both stories made me very angry. Not just from a journalism and social media standpoint, but also from the public’s point-of-view because we are responsible for how we have treated both individuals very badly.
It’s very easy to pin the blame on social media, journalists and the media, but the public also has to take it’s fair share of responsibility for putting Ms Flack and Dr Peterson in their respective situations. I hope their respective parties are getting the help and support they rightfully deserve.
After all, the public is responsible for promoting famous people in the eyes of the media. Resorting to playing the victim or blame with journalists, the media and celebrities in question is very dangerous and can lead to very similar incidents such as what’s happened in the past few days.
I never went into journalism to be famous, I got into the industry because I wanted to not just make a difference to society, but also cover stories that would have gone unnoticed. There’s been times that I wanted to give up, but I kept going because if I did, I would live with that regret for the rest of my life.
There have been mistakes that I have made in my career, but we’re all human and humans are not perfect. However, it does not give you an automatic right to bully, troll and harass a celebrity, friend or any member of the public in person or on social media.
Instead of blaming the media or news outlet for posting “clickbait”, don’t read, listen or watch the content if it’s making you so angry. At the end of the day, we are all responsible for what we consume through news websites, television channels, radio stations and so on.
What I have to say here is instead of disregarding someone’s opinion or kicking an individual when they’re at their lowest point, be someone that you can rely on. Less judgement, more kindness and in these unusual times, those two things are needed more than ever.
One other thing, instead of blaming others, take ownership of any situation or responsibility you are faced with.
Here’s some useful websites if you need any help and support:
Samaritans — https://www.samaritans.org/
MIND — https://www.mind.org.uk/
Time to Change — https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/
